Incubator



(No Model.) 2 sheets-snm 1.

- F. HUMPHREVILLE.

INGUBATR.

No. 296,413, Patented Apr. 8, 1884,..

NA Permis Pwrommgmm. wams-:m D. c.

(No Model.)

2 sheets-sheet 2. F. HUMPHRBVILLE.

` INGUBATOR. No. 296,413. PatentedApr.s,1884.

0,/ my1// A U w QQ/N Ihviren rares PATENT einen.

FRANK HUMPI-IREV ILLE, OF'LANGASTER, PENNSYLVANIA.

`wiens/iron.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 296,413, dated April 8, 1884.

Application led May 1l, 1853.

.To @ZZ whom it may concern,.-

Beit known that I, FRANK HUMPHREVILLE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lancaster, in the county of Lancasterand State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Incubatore; and I do Ahereby declare the following to be a full, clear,

and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My improvements relate to incubators for hatching chickens; and it consists in means for heating the incubator, mea-ns for vent-ilation, and in the guides or ways for holding the egg-trays.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate my invention and make part of this specification, Figure l is a central vertical section from front to back of my improved incubator. Fig. 2 is a central vertical section from side to side of the same. Fig. 3 is a central longitudinal section of the temperatureregulator; and Fig. A is a plan view of the upper tank and boiler.

Like letters designate corresponding part in all the ngures I use hot water for heating the chamber A, in which the trays B B, holding the eggs, are placed. The sides, back, and bottom, G C, of the chamber A are double, inclosing a deadair space, c, for retaining the heat as much as possible. The door in front, through which access to the interior is had, is also double. The entire top of thechamber, with the exception of a passage for the iiue D, is covered by a watertank, E, which is inclosed in the outer casing of the chamber A. This tank E is divided by partitions b b into various compertinents, as shown in Fig. 4, to assist in the circulation of the water. The tank E communicates directly by a pipe, c, with the boiler F. The water in the boiler is heated from the heating source Gr, which is preferably a lamp or gas-flame, as such a heating source gives a very uniformi degree of heat with but little attention. y The heat from the lamp G passes upward through a central iiue, d, in the boiler and down through the side tlues, e e, thus utilizing a large proportion of the heat. The

5o water, having circulated through all the com- (No model.)

partments of the upper tank, E, passes through a pipe, Htdown to'a tank, I, at the bottom of the chamber A, from whence it passes through a pipe, f, back to the boiler F. Thus la rapid and thorough circulation of the water is insured, and but little attention is required to keep the apparatus in working order.

The trays B B, on which the eggs are placed, have their bottom L composed of fine wire or gauze, so that the air within the chamberA 6o ,may circulate without hinder'ance around the eggs and throughout the chamber. For holding the trays in position, I use guides or ways M M, which are formed, preferably, of metal, and are made with one vertical side, g, which is fastened to the side of the chamber, and two horizontal inwardly-'projecting arms, It f1', between which the trays slide. The ways M M are placed at a distance apart equal to the space between the arms h h., so that the trays may be placed on either of the arms and raised and lowered as desired. At the bottom of the chamber is placed an open pan, N, in which Water is kept for giving the air in the chamber a proper amount of moisture. Ventilat-` 7 ing-openings t' t admit fresh air into the airspace e underneath the chamber, from whence it can pass into the chamber by iluesl Z, eX- tending through the tank I.

It is very necessary that the temperature of the incubating-chamber,in which the eggs are placed, shall be maintained at a uniform and unvarying degree, a variation of even a few degrees being dangerous and liable to cause the loss of many eggs. I have shown in the drawings a device whereby the temperature may be kept uniform, a variation of a single degree, or even less, being suilicient to put the device into operation.

In the interior of the chamber A a metal bracket, m, is secured, to which is fastened at one end a thin strip, n, of brass or other metal. To the top of this metallic strip is firmly secured a strip, o, oi india-rubber or other suitable material, whose coefcient of 95 expansion is much greater than that of the metallic strip n, the ratio of the coefficients of expansion of the strips n and o determining the facility with which the device operates. From the metallic bracket m awire, p, eX- :on

tends to one of the poles of an electric battery, O,which,for convenience, may be placed on the top of the chamber A. A thumb-screw, q, extendsthrough an opening, r, in the sides of the chamber into and throughametallic plate, S, attached to the inner side of the chamber and covering the opening r. Frein the metallic plate a wire, t, extends around a magnet, I, and thence to the other pole of the battery O. The armature u of the magnet is pivoted to brackets v on the top of the chamber, and an arm, n, attached to the armature, is connected to a damper, x, in theilue D by alever, y. The thumb screw q being properly adjusted so as to be out of contact with the free end of the strip n when the temperature of the chamber is at its normal degree, when the temperture in the chamber rises slightly the strip o,expanding more rapidlythan the strip n, being attached rigidly thereto, curves the strip a inward until it touches the thumb-screw q, closing the circuit, which passes from the battery O through p m a q s t P back to the battery, magnetizing the magnet Rwhich attracts the armature rLt,which, through arm w and lever @/,opens the`damper x, thus permitting the air to circulate freely through the chamber. This free circulation of the air soon reduces the temperature to its normal degree, so that the strip o contracts, bringing the strip n back to its normal position out of contact with the thumb-screw q, thus breaking the circuit, and the armature being no longer attracted by the magnet, the damper falls back of its own weight, closing the flue. As the thumb-screw q can be so adjusted as to close the circuit at a very slight increase of temperature, besides keeping the temperature at a uniform degree, a frequent circulation of air is obtained, fresh air being admitted through the Ventilatingopenings t t', and the confined air passing out through the flue D and carrying off any unwholesome odor which may arise from the eggs.

I do not herein claim the thermostat which I have described and shown, as I am'about to embody it in a separate application; but

Vhat I do claim isl. In an incubator, the upper tank divided into compartments, the lower tankthe boiler with central and side lues, and connectingpipes, in combination with the heating source,

substantially as and for the purpose hereinv specified.

2. The combination,with the egg-trays having wire bottoms, of guides or ways formed with two horizontal arms, the distance between the said aris being equal to the distance between the upper arm of one guide and the lower arm of the guide neXt above, as and for the purpose Set forth.

3. The combination, in an incubator provided with ventilating-openings z' t', leading into the air space a, of the tank I, provided with flues, as passages Z Z, leading from said airspace to the egg-chambe1,whereby only warm air is introduced into said egg-chamber, substantially as and 'for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRANK HUMPHREVILLE.

Witnesses:

GHAs. E. WENTZ, ADA F. WENTZ. 

